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Ironkraufte Helde (IKH)
The Ironkraufte Helde is an imperial state and dictatorship located in central Osta. It is the leading member of the Ironreikt, and has significant say in Ironreikt matters and the matters within every other member. The Capital of IKH is Aclad, a centralised hub city within the valley trails leading to the lowlands in the east. It was formerly a territory called Ironwary, and was much smaller, owning none of the eastern territory beyond the city of Blaukmaureblen (then Maurkvetten). In Callium of 1286 cycle 3 the eastern territory, which up until then had been a union called Ledlenna, was taken upon the signing of the Ostmaurk Treaty after their victory in the Lowlands War (1284-1286 cycle 3). Later in the month the territory declared itself a state and was renamed Ironhelde. History Pre-Ironwary Era (0 c.1-948 c.2) Before the formation of the territory of Ironwary, the region was very fluid, with very few nations or nation-like groupings existing. Most areas were petty kingdoms or simply entirely unnamed groupings of settlements. By 800 cycle 2 Yessen was formed, although much smaller and more centralised around Thaica. Plefta was also beginning to be permanently settled. Because Ostuary and Lower-Argeria were well developed for the time, the region that would become Ironwary, at this point only called The Long Valley, became a very important land-trade route. Due to the long distance however, many of what had previously been smaller communities and petty kingdoms quickly became hubs, and due to the relatively flat terrain in the valleys that lead to the lowlands in the east, flattened earthen roads were much easier to make. With the entry to the Hard-Metals Age around 920 cycle 2, the area, now well developed although not yet unified, once again became an important area for trade, as it was quickly discovered that the mountains in central Osta were rich with metals that could now be exploited. Within a decade unification began, with the area becoming known as Ironwary, meaning "Iron way". Although fairly considerable settlements had already formed in the valley, such as what would later become known as Hrenbreldleftten, Auften, Haurdblend and what would eventually become the capital, Aclad, areas that had previously been entirely uninhabited became mining settlements with large populations. In the south the most notable of these were Ostmaurk and Ironaura. In the north the largest settlement by population in all of Ironwary, Arken, was established and became the site of a large faction known as the Ironmetgar. This group quickly became militarised and under the leadership of several unnamed lords would claim all of Ironwary, and settle the boundaries very similarly to the modern borders of IKH. The notable exception was the lowlands, wherein the free peoples who settled there had armed themselves and strictly opposed any non-military leadership. While the Ironmetgar was better trained and armed, is was also heavily outnumbered, and facing attacks from Pleftan raiders and the Arguarian military which intended to take ownership of the northeastern mountain range. Because of this the Ironmetgar would never take the lowlands, even after several military attempts. The skirmishes with Arguary quickly escalated into a full-scale war however, and one the Ironmetgar were not equipped to fight in a still not completely unified land. When Arguary seized the southern third of the contested mountain range however, the fear of full scale invasion lead the populace to create the Ironwary army, completely independent from the still ruling Ironmetgar. Although the Ironmetgar were displeased by the populace arming themselves and the Ironwary military wanted to overthrow the overly militaristic and oppressive rulers, they agreed to work together to beat their common enemy in Arguary. The region finally fully unified under the name Ironwary in 948 cycle 2, the same year the war with Arguary officially started. The Arguarian military was 50,000 strong and well trained, but Ironwary had been the birthplace of the Hard-Metals Age in Osta and had the highest population of any region in Osta. The Ironmetgar numbered only 8,000, but the Ironwary Guard (well trained soldiers) numbered 11,000, and the civilian population could create militias easily numbering 80,000 on short notice, even though most militia groups were called to beat back the raiders in the west. Early Ironwary/Arguary-Ironwary War Era (948 c.2-958 c.2) Main Article: Arguary-Ironwary War The war with Arguary lasted longer than many expected. While Arguary had far more trained soldiers, their manpower to call upon was far smaller, meaning their only hope of a swift victory was to decisively beat both the Ironmetgar and Ironwary Guard within the first months of the war. They were half successful in their goals, completely removing the Ironmetgar's ability to fight within 2 months of the war being declared. This was achieved primarily by leading them into ambushes in the mountain ranges which the Arguarian soldiers were much more confident fighting in. The Ironwary Guard, however, received intelligence that the frontal Arguarian units had been specifically trained in mountain and hill fighting, and so they did not advance into the mountains. The Arguarian rear-line units were then forced to take the lead, and enter into a much more even fight, both in numbers and training. The battle would have over 2,000 casualties of the 22,000 soldiers present. It became known as the Battle of Brend, and was not decisive for either side. Both sides had roughly the same number and quality of troops and took roughly the same number of casualties. Ultimately, neither side could advance. By Marble of 949 c.2 the war had been going for 9 months with no major land taken outside the southern third of the mountain range, most of which was taken before the war was declared. The Ironmetgar could not recover and the rulers are thought to have fled or been killed by the populace. Their names remain unknown as they were never documented at the time, and may have not even been known then. The Ironwary Guard managed to reinforce, making up for casualties and gaining additional forces to more effectively cover strategic points. More and more militias were diverted to the west however, as Pleftan raiding reached an all time high. Arguary would learn of the raiding in the west, and intended to exploit this distraction. They attempted to organise their forces before the raiding died down, but were unsuccessful, as the militias, which were viewed as unorganised and weak were led effectively, and fought hard. By the time the Arguarian military was ready in Ostanium of 949 the raiders had mostly retreated, many bands never to return again. The legend of the militias' competence reached the Arguarian lines, and the leadership decided that a final major attack would be attempted before the militias could return to the east. The Arguarians took a massive pocket of land north of the settlement of Blaukmaureblen, and won a series of minor victories against unprepared Ironwary Guard units. Militias from Hardent, Graftken, Weldeffen and Blaukmaureblen were quickly raised and slowed the advance, but ultimately proved significantly less organised than what Arguary had expected. As the weather worsened however, the advance came to a complete halt. They expected to remain until the end of the cold period, but this was the beginning of the longest cold period in history up until that point. While it wasn't uncommon for natural climate shifts to cause entire year-long cold periods, this was the start of what would become known as the Great Cold. The cold seasons extended almost the entire year for 5 years (950 c.2-955 c.2). What would be the growing period each year became rainy and littered with violent thunderstorms. All food had to be shipped in from the south as the entire west coast of Osta experienced the worst weather conditions of all. Over 5 million people would starve across Osta, with Plefta and what was then Trianna in what is the modern Trissian Republic suffering the worst. By Krolium of 955, the worst of the Great Cold had ended, but all military forces in Ironwary and Arguary were unorganised, and most had suffered severe casualties from starvation and exposure. Although the war wouldn't end until 958, the worst of the fighting had ended, with the remaining battles only returning the very southern tip of the mountain range to Ironwary. In Marks of 958 the King of Arguary, King Brelor VII, agreed to negotiate for peace. The people of Ironwary only made a small number of demands, the most notable of which was the returning of all land taken in Ironwary settlements. An exception was made for northeastern Brend, as the settlement was sprawling and vast, reaching into the mountains. The Ironwary civilians had fled southwest and abandoned the northeast completely, which was then used to shelter the homeless in that region of Arguary during the Great Cold. Due to the population being almost 100% Arguarian, and that King Brelor wanted to maintain a lasting peace with Ironwary, the populace was favourable to this, viewing it as a city wherein the two sovereign regions could work together and maintain a peaceful coexistence. Arguary retained slightly less than half of the mountain range, which was then named Tretbutannus, which meant "For tribute", as a monument to the peace. It is generally agreed upon by historians that this peace came mainly from the shared experience of the horrors of the Great Cold, as Pleftan raiding would not begin again for decades, and no major wars would be fought for almost half a century in Osta. In the pocket the Arguarian forces had taken, Ironwary citizens often put down their arms to help the Arguarians in need, and this lead to many examples of peaceful interaction between the forces that had been at war for years prior. The Era of Recovery (958 c.2-1221 c.2) =